Machine for charging and discharging gas retorts



March 23,1926. 1,578,072

T. F. CANNING Er AL MACHINE FOR CHARGING AND DISCHARGING GAS RETORTS File ug 5, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 .rv. A x mung //v VEVMRS Q2, 7a: 220

March 23 1926. 1,578,072

I T. F. CANNING ET AL MACHINE FOR CHARGING AND DISCHARGING GAS RETORTS Fi led August 5, 1925 2 sheets-sheet 2 WVE/VTD/P azz/5675' Patented Mar. 23, 1926. i I

UNITED "STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS FRANC IS GANNING AND RIGHARD GEORGE CLARK, OF SOUTHEND-ON-SEA,

' ENGLAND.

MACHINE iron ormnemc AND DISCHARGING GAS nn'roms.

' Application filed August a, 1925. I Serial No. 47,934.

To all whom 2'25 may concern." such constructions the chain has been car- Be it known that we, THOMAS FRANCIS ried in a trough, built up in sections hing- CANNING and RICHARD GEORGE CLARK, both edly attached to each other, and the coal British subjects, respectively residing at has been dropped intothe trough and has I Sunray, 43 Avenue Road, Southend-onbeen pushed'along it by the pushers which Sea, and Manaton, Cheltenham Road, finally discharge it over the endmost trough Southend-on-Sea, in the county of Essex, in the retort. England, have invented certain new and Our invention diflers from these previous .useful Improvements in Machines for constructions in that the'chain we employ Charging and Discharging Gas Retorts, of and which has side arms or pushers'travels v 'which the following is a specification. over a centrally arranged linked bar onits This invention relates to an improved upper side or edge and on the underside travstoking machine which-is suitable for use els on the fioor or bottom of the retort thus with various kinds of furnaces, retort-s and dispensing with the sectional troughs. the like, but is particularly designed for These chains are arranged to be stationary charging and discharging retorts at gas in relation to the linked bars when the reworks and will be more particularly detort is being filled but travel in relation to scribed with reference thereto. the said bars when they are withdrawn, and The invention is illustrated in the prethe construction is such that when the linked 20 terred embodiment in the accompanying bars are withdrawn the endless conveyors 30 drive, and

drawings, in which: pass out of the coal without, or practically vFig. 1 shows the main parts of the mawithout, disturbing it. A particular advanchine in side elevation, with. the discharging tage of our invention is the rapidity with charger partly withdrawn from a retort, the which a retort can be charged.

coal alongside the same being omitted. These linked bars have been previously Fig. 2 shows the same apparatus in the made in various forms and have been actufully withdrawn position. Q ated by means of a flat-sided wheel which is Fig.6 shows a detail ona larger scale. alternately rotated to bring about the push- Fig. 4 shows details of a suitable form of ing and Withdrawing actions and on which the linked bar is carried when out of use. Fig. 5 shows a form of clutch for control- It isdesirable to charge the retorts to such ling the drive.

In the manufacture of coal gas various will substantially fill the retort, and our mechanical means have been adopted whereinvention is designed to do this in a more by the coal is pushed into the retort by a efficient manner than has hitherto been poslinked bar carrying transverse pushers and sible. usually a front piece or nose. his linked In practice the linked bar is pushed into bar is arranged under a coal hopper and the the retort and the pushers which are. then construction is'such that when the linked bar stationary in relation to the bar convey the is pushed into the retort the front or nose coal. from the mouth of the hopperinto the will drive out the coke, after which the retort. lVhen the full charge of'coal is in pushers will push coal received from. the place the linked bar is withdrawn and the hopper into its place; the device thus actchain or cable is held on its under side, say ing as a discharging-charger. hen the near the mouth of the retort, with the result retort is filledthe linked bar is drawn back that the inner part (that is, the'part furand the pushers, which are usually pivoted thest in the retort) of the endless chain or plates, will ride over the coal, thusleaving rope will move from under the bar over its the retort charged with fresh coal. end and back along the top whilst the outer It has .been proposed to mount endless part will have reverse movement. The pushconveyors of different forms on these linked er's on the chain or cable will rise' almost bars'and to employ'them to carry the. coal vertically from under the bar at its inner into the'retort. by means of an endless chain end and Will not appreciably disturb the having arms or pushers on each side, but in Goal.

a capacity that when the coal expands it lVe prefer to make the links of substantially elongated D or lozenge shape to facilitate their fitting with the chain or cable round the wheel, or they may be pivoted to each other vertically so asto fit to a flat-sided wheel on a vertical axis.

From this description it will be seen that the coal is carried into the retort by the o1;- tending bars or plates on the endless chain or cable which travels inwardly en bloc with the linked bar and at the same speed, but when the linked bar is withdrawn the chain or equivalent with its bars or plates .has relative movement with the linked bar. The chain or cable may rest on the bottom of the retort and act as a rubbing strip for the linked bar. The endless chain or cable may be driven for the purpose of withdrawing the linked bar.

We will now describe our inventlon with reference to the accompanying drawings in which one form is shown mainly in diagrammatic manner.

Fig. 1 shows the main parts of the machine in side elevation with the dischargingcharger partly withdrawn from a retort, the coal alongside the same being omitted for sake of clearness.

Fig. 2 shows the same apparatus in the fully withdrawn position.

Fig. 3 shows a detail on larger scale.

Fig. 4 shows details of a suitable form of drive, and

Fig. 5 shows a form of clutch for controlling the drive.

In Figs. 1 and 2 a retort is shown at a and a telescopic shoot from a hopper is indicated at I; with the usual platform under it at'c.

It will be understood that the machine can be raised and lowered and sidewardly moved to and from the mouths of any suitable number of retorts, such being accomplished in substantially known or any convenientmanner.

The machine comprises a main wheel 1 arranged within a guard or outer track 2 and adapted to carry the dischargingcharger which is formed of bar-links .3 pivoted together at i and over which an endless chain 5 carrying pusher bars 6 is arranged. The outer end of the linked bar is attached to an arm 7 normally free on the shaft of wheel 1 but capable of being locked thereto if desired. This arm may carry a wheel or roller to facilitate the movement of the chain over that end of the linked bar.

An idle wheel 8 serves to hold the chain down on the linked bar and a toothed wheel. 9 serves to drive the chain in relation to the linked bar and is controlled by the clutch shown in Fig. 5. The retort is shown in outline at a in Fig. 3 and the linked bar and chain are approximately a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1. In this drawing it will be seen that the pusher bars on the underside of the linked bar rest on the bottom of the retort and are not a close'fit to the sides of the retort and that the plates 10 to which they are fixed form part of the chain and overlap the edges of the linked bar to prevent accidental displacement;

In Fig. 4 the same reference numbers are used for like parts as in Figs. 1 and 2 and an additional wheel 11 coaxial with wheel 1 is shown. This wheel is fixed to the shaft of wheel 1 and these two wheels always rotate together, being driven by the usual or by any suitable means. A chain 12 is passed over thewheel 11 and over a sprocket wheel 13 forming part of the dog clutch 14:,

This clutch comprises an outer member 15 having sliding movement on shaft 16 by lever 17. The inner member of the clutch comprises two sets of jaws 18 and 19 into either of which the member 15 can been-v gage-d with aneutral position between the In Fig. 5 the clutch is shown in is communicated to the shaft 16 and causes it to drive the wheel 9. This clutch is manually or mechanically operated and the wheel 9 can be rotated at will.

It is distinctly advantageous to fully charge the retort and we can effect this by first inserting the discharging-charger as above and then by engaging clutch member 15 with either 18 or 19 we drive the chain 5 inwardly on the underside of the linked bar, thus causing the pushers on this lower side to convey coal into the retort and pile it up therein. When the coal is sufiiciently packed the clutch is brought to neutral'and the drive of wheel 1 will slowly Withdraw the discharging-charger and when a sufii cient return movement has been made the clutch is re-operated and the chain only is again driven to cause the 'pushers to pile up the coal as before. This process is repeated as often as may be desired and by it any desired degree of packing of th e'coal can be obtained. Conversely a very light charge can be obtained if desired by withdrawing the whole device proportionately faster than the travel of the chain. 7

The holding of the chain on the withdrawal movement may be effected in any convenient manner as by a foot operated lever adapted to thrust a pin or plunger into the chain on the lower side, or-by putting the clutch into its neutral position and applying a hand, brake or equivalent to the toothed wheel 9. V

The conveyor is driven when the bar is stationary by the teeth on the wheel 1 and those on wheel 9 which have through the wheel 11 and chain 12 equal action in opposite directions (the wheel 1 on the upper side and the wheel 9 on the under side) on the endless chain 5; the arm 7 being in its normal free position. I j

The linked bar can be withdrawn by operating the endless conveyor through the teeth on the wheel 1 which withdraws the conveyor on its upper side whilst the lower side is held at wheel 9, by its brake, or it may be the pin or plunger, with the result that the chain on the upper side travels rcar' coke the retort is recharged with coal to usual degree, but the coal maybe more or less tightly packed in either of the manners above described.

We have described the apparatus constructed as a discharging-charger for use in through retorts, but it may be used as a charger only when the retorts are of the stop-end kind and with which any suitable means for emptying may be employed.

By the use of a suitable clutch and driving gear the chain or like flexible pusher-carrier can be driven in either direction whilst the linked bar is either stationary or moving and the direction of rotation can be reversed as and when may be desired.

For the purpose of discharging coke from retorts, more particularly stop end retorts, the device is introduced into the outer end of the retort and slowly moved therein with the underside of the chain or equivalent which carries the pushers running in an outward direction and so that the pushers will bite into the coke and ,draw it outwardly along the bottom of the retort anddischarge it at the month.

hat we claim is:

1. A machine for discharging and charging retorts and the like, comprising a linked bar, an endless chain mounted lengthwise over the linked bar, means for operating the bar, and means for independently operating the chain relative to the bar.

2. A machine for discharging and charging retorts comprising a linked bar, an enc less. chain mounted lengthwise over the linked bar, a wheel for winding and unwinding the bar with the chain, pusher arms eX- tending sidewardly from both sides of the chain and means for driving the chain along the bar.

3. Amachine for discharging and charging retorts comprising a linked bar, an endless chain mounted lengthwise over the linked bar, a wheel for winding and unwinding the bar with the chain, pusher arms extending sidewardly from both sides of the chain and means for holding the chain on one side of the'bar when the bar is being wound or unwound on the wheel. I

at. ,'A machine for charging gas retorts comprising a-linked bar carrying an endless chain having sidewardly extending arms, a wheel on which the bar with the chain can be wound and unwound, gear for driving the chain in relation to the bar, and means for holding the chain on one side of the bar whilst the bar is wound and unwound on the wheel. 5. A machine according to claim 1, means for simultaneously moving the bar lengthwise with thechain into and out of the re tort, and means to permit the chain to move independently. of the movement of the bar.

6. A machine according to claim 1, including means to hold the chain stationary with relation to the bar at will.

7. A machine according to claim 1, including a clutch for controlling the movements of the link bar and chain.

8. In a machine for charging or discharging retorts and the like, a bar made up of a series of pivoted rigid members, an endless chain adapted for travel lengthwise the bar above and below the same, pushers carried by the chain, and means whereby the chain and bar may be moved together or the chain permitted to move relative to the bar.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

THOMAS FRANCIS CANNING. RICHARD GEORGE CLARK. 

